HIV IN THE UK STATISTICS - 2015

Living with HIV

HEADLINES

A total of 88,769 people, including 315 children aged under 15, received HIV specialist care in 2015

Over the last decade, the number of people accessing specialist care for HIV has steadily grown. Over the decade2006 to 2015, there has been a 73% increase in the number of people accessing HIV care.

One third of people living with HIV in the UK have experienced discrimination. Half of these instances involvedhealthcare workers

Gender

About two thirds of people receiving HIV specialist care in 2015 were men (61,097 people) and one third were women (27,672 people)

ETHNICITY

Over half of people receiving HIV specialist care in the UKwere white, and almost a third were black African

AGE

The number of people with an HIV diagnosis who are aged 55 and over has seen an increase over recent years

One in three people accessing HIV care is now aged 50 or over.

UK Distribution

The vast majority of people receiving HIV care in the UK in 2015 did so in England

Looking at England, 46% of people living with HIV in theUK in 2015 accessed care in London

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

Over 95% of people living with HIV in the UK have acquired HIV through sex without a condom

People living with HIV who were exposed through heterosexual sex are the largest group, though those exposed through sex between men is a close second

Of those receiving HIV care in 2015, 41,945 (48%) were exposed through sex between a man and a woman, 41,016 (47%) were exposed through sex between men, 1,909 (2%) were exposed from injecting drug use, 1,383 (less than 2%) were exposed before or shortly after birth and 753 were exposed from blood/receiving blood products. This latter category only included people exposed outside of the UK, as this is no longer a route of transmission within the UK. There are also 1,763 cases which have not been categorised by one of these routes

Newly diagnosed

HEADLINES

6,095 people were newly diagnosed wtih HIV in the UK in 2015.

GENDER

Out of the 6,095 people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2015, 75% (4,551) were men and 25% (1,350) were women

ETHNICITY

More than half of people diagnosed with HIV in 2015 were white and 18% were black African. 2% of new diagnoses in the UK were among black Caribbean people, despite this group making up only 1% of the UK population

AGE

70% of people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2015 were aged between 25 and 54

There are a growing number of people being diagnosed with HIV later in life, with around 1 in 6 people newly diagnosed aged over 50 or over in 2015

UK DISTRIBUTION

Each year, the majority of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in the UK occur in England (90% in 2015).
Most of these diagnoses are in London (43% in 2015)

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

The largest proportion of new diagnoses in 2015 were due to sex between men, followed by heterosexual sex

There has been a decline in diagnoses amongst heterosexual men and women over the past decade, largely due to trends in migration from high prevalence countries and a reduction of diagnoses among black African men and women

Almost all women newly diagnosed with HIV in 2015 acquired HIV through heterosexual sex

Late diagnosis

HEADLINES

39% of people newly diagnosed in 2015 were diagnosed at a late stage of HIV infection

People diagnosed late have a ten-fold increased risk of death within 1 year of HIV diagnosis compared to those diagnosed promptly (3.8% vs. 0.35%)

Late diagnosis also means that a person has remained unaware of their HIV status for several years, increasing the risk of ​onward transmission

Someone is considered to have been diagnosed late if they have a CD4 count below 350 cells/mm³ within three months of diagnosis. Someone has a ‘very late’ diagnosis if they have a CD4 count below 200 cells/mm³ within 91 days of diagnosis

ETHNICITY

Looking at particular ethnic groups, the proportion of late diagnoses was particularly high among black African (53%),
​followed by black other (49%) and Asian (47%) and black Caribbean (46%) ethnicities.

UK DISTRIBUTION

Geographically, the highest rates of late diagnosis in England in 2015 were in the Midlands and the East of England (50%),
the North of England (47%) and the South of England (41%) which were all above the average rate for England (40%).

Late diagnosis rates were higher in Wales (51%) and lower in Northern Ireland (29%) and Scotland (31%).

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

In 2015, the proportion of late diagnoses was highest amongst heterosexual men (55%), followed by heterosexual women (49%) and people who inject drugs (45%). It was lowest amongst men who have sex with men (30%).

MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (MSM)

HIV statistics talk about 'men who have sex' with men to includeall gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

DIAGNOSIS

More than half of people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2015 were MSM, despite this group only making up anestimated 2-3% of the male population

3,320 MSM were diagnosed with HIV in 2015, reflecting both an increase in levels of HIV testing as well as ongoing​new transmissions

ETHNICITY

The majority of MSM with an HIV diagnosis
are of white ethnicity (76%)

AGE

42% of MSM diagnosed in 2015 were aged between 25-34

A third of MSM seen for HIV care in 2015 were aged 50 or over. This compares to 18% a decade ago.

UK DISTRIBUTION

The vast majority of MSM receiving HIV care in the UK were living in England (91%)

Black african people

HEADLINES

Black African men and women living in the UK are disproportionately affected by HIV, making up 1.8% of the UK population but 31% of all people accessing HIV care

In 2015 there were 27,742 black African people in the UK accessing HIV treatment and care

DIAGNOSIS

During 2015, 1,148 people of black African ethnicity were newly diagnosed with HIV

The number of black Africans newly diagnosed with HIV each year increased sharply between 1999 and 2003, peaking at 3,981, and has been falling since. This decline is related to changing migration patterns from countries of high HIV prevalence

In 2015, 53% of those diagnosed late were black Africans

GENDER

More women than men are living with HIV within black African communities. This reflects the disproportionate impact
of HIV on women within the global epidemic. Around 35% of black African people accessing care in 2015 were men,
and 65% were women

UK DISTRIBUTION

The vast majority of black Africans with HIV in the UK ​were accessing care in England

Just over two fifths of all black Africans living with HIV
​in England in 2014 were accessing care in London

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

As with the general population, the vast majority of black Africans were infected through sex— 91% through
​heterosexual sex

UK statistics have been sourced from Public Health England. You can read PHE's annual report on HIV in the UK and access the data on the PHE website.